UNANDERRA PUBLIC Principal's MessageDear parent and carers, With less than four weeks until the end of term it is hard to believe that we still have so much to do and so much to look forward to. Our Dance2Bfit concert preparations are well underway and the children and teachers are really excited. Miss Bell and Mrs Jackson have been working really hard to co ordinate this online performance in a COVID safe way for everyone to enjoy. The presentation assemblies are also being planned by Mrs White and her team and although we are restricted I know that they are working hard to making it a really positive experience for all award recipients. Teachers are currently writing reports and class formations for 2022 are now being planned as the year comes to an end. We are certainly looking forward to celebrating the end of what has been a very challenging year for us all. Respectful Communication The safety, learning and wellbeing of all of our students is central to the decision making of all of the staff at UPS. At times parents/carers may not agree with decisions that are made at the school level and feedback is always welcome when it is shared respectfully and appropriately. All school-based decisions are made with reference to NSW Department of Education policies and are not made lightly, with the wellbeing of the students at the forefront. We are aware that this has become a very busy and demanding time of the year and that the ease of restrictions has certainly placed more pressure on some households who are juggling work and family commitments. Please be mindful that as adults our children follow our lead and learn how to manage difficult situations from our modelling and the staff at UPS are committed to working in partnership with the students and their families. Respectful communication is a right in all workplaces and the staff at UPS have the right to feel safe and respected. Unacceptable and offensive behaviour has no place in our amazing school community. It is important to know that to ensure the wellbeing of students, staff and the community in our schools, steps will be taken to address any unacceptable behaviour that occurs towards any member of staff. Please see the School Community Charter link for further information- English (PDF 531KB)External link Our staff will always find an appropriate time to talk to you when they can give you their full attention. Please remember that while our staff are teaching or dealing with other matters, they may not be available to answer your questions immediately, however will contact you as soon as they possibly can. I thank you all for your support and recognise that our school community works hard to support and encourage one another. Election day fundraiser- Details The P &C are excited to be able to host a BBQ for the local elections that will be held onsite at our school on 4 December. The UPS P&C will need to complete a COVID-19 Safety Plan – Hospitality. This fundraiser barbeque is limited to takeaway food service only and will be held outdoors. When entering the school site on election day, anyone aged 16 and older must check-in using the election’s QR code. Anyone working (including volunteering) on school sites as part of a P&C election day fundraiser must wear masks (both indoors and outdoors) and be fully vaccinated. Volunteers running the fundraiser will remind visitors to ensure that 1.5 metres of physical distancing is maintained between customers and volunteers while queuing. Thank you to our most valuable P&C members for working hard to mobilise a team of volunteers for this to take place! Remembrance Day Remembrance Day falls on the 11th of November each year. On the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, a minutes' silence is observed and dedicated to those soldiers who died fighting to protect the nation and the loss of Australian lives from all wars and conflicts is commemorated on Remembrance Day. The leadership team at Unanderra Public School guided by Mrs Elston and Mrs McCabe presented a very thoughtful school assembly via the microphone. Speeches were read by the school captains and vice captains and the Acknowledgement of Country was proudly read by Amelia. Our school wishes to acknowledge all who are impacted by the devastation of war and thank all who have served to protect us and those who continue to serve. A reminder of the Term 4 roadmap (PDF 118KB) which is a guide to the key COVID-safe settings on school sites from 8 November. Care and connect during COVID-19 Once again please do not hesitate to access the tools to support parents and students, including how to have a conversation around mental health and managing anxiety. · Care and connect – for students aged 12-18 · Care and connect – for students aged 8-12 · Care and connect for parents. Student Attendance at School All students are expected to be at school unless they are unwell. Please do not send your child to school if they are unwell, even with mild symptoms. Parents and carers are encouraged to get their child tested for COVID-19 and follow NSW Health directions. All NSW DoE schools have been advised that any person with any COVID-19 symptoms must be sent home and not return to school unless: o they have isolated for 10 days, when no medical certificate is available o they have a negative COVID-19 test result and are symptom free. In circumstances where children have other medical reasons for recurrent symptoms, a letter from their GP is sufficient to negate the requirement for a negative test. Anyone who is unwell with COVID-19 symptoms is strongly encouraged to get tested and self-isolate until a negative result is received. Find your local testing clinics.External link Self-isolation periods and testing requirements differ for close contacts based on their exposure and vaccination status. If you are identified as a close contact, an authorised contact tracer from NSW Health or from the department's Health and Safety directorate will contact you and let you what you need to do. For more information, refer to the NSW Health fact sheet on close contacts. Information is changing rapidly so your understanding and patience is appreciated. Please be mindful that the school staff are following public health orders and are obligated to contact parents/carers of children who say they are feeling unwell or who present with cold and flu symptoms. Additionally, the school is obliged to call families when a child presents with any symptom that indicates that they are not feeling well. The health and wellbeing of all students is important and UPS staff will continue to contact parents/carers during these situations. Thank you again for your continued support during this school term. School Zone Safety Once again, we respectfully ask that all parents and carers support our teachers and follow the road rules to keep everyone safe during these especially busy times of the day. At times we experience some drivers reversing towards the pedestrian crossing rather than waiting patiently. While we recognise that the majority of our families are exceptionally cautious we do still experience some difficulties. The well-being and safety of all students, families and staff is paramount and we thank you all for your support with this. This website from Wollongong City Council has this link to share with families detailing the importance of keeping safe in school areas. https://wollongong.nsw.gov.au/my-community/safety/road-safety/accordions/school-zone-safety School Zone Safety | Wollongong City Council We've also put together a glove box guide you can keep in the car. Download your copy below: PDF, 1149.57 KB. Managing School Zone safety. Road safety issues around schools in the Wollongong area are managed by both Transport for NSW (TfNSW) and Wollongong City Council. wollongong.nsw.gov.au Useful websites Visit the websites below to learn more about safety around schools: · Safety Town - road safety education for primary schools, parents, teachers and students · Back to School Safety - tips for parents and carers, including information in community languages · Keeping our Students Safe - general information from the NSW Centre for Road Safety. For more information about safety around schools, call Wollongong City Council (02) 4227 7111 or email our Road Safety Officer. Staffing Update Mrs Wilkinson will be on leave for the remainder of 2021 and Mrs Martinoski will continue to replace her in the role as School Administration Manager. Enrolments for 2022. We have begun planning for 2022. If you are aware that your child will not be attending Unanderra Public School in 2022 can you please notify the school office as soon as possible. Alternatively, if you know of any child in our wonderful local area who is of kindergarten age and looking to enrol, please refer them to our school website and/or they can contact the school on 42728730 to obtain further information. Finally, I congratulate our students who are all working hard towards achieving their own personal goals each school day. They have shown us that they can use their skills in resilience to mange unexpected changes in routines and that they can build their independence and problem-solving skills with determination and guidance. The kindness and consideration our students are extending towards one another is building and reassuring. Keep working hard! Have a wonderful fortnight ahead, Kind Regards, Anissa Rajendra At the start of the year, Stage 3 came together and collaboratively developed a stage Acknowledgement of Country to show awareness of and respect for the Traditional Custodians of the land we gather on and our long and continuing relationship with the land. In 5/6S, the Acknowledgment of Country takes place at the start of the week before our Morning Routine, before special events and assemblies, and is also displayed in the classroom. Student of the Week & Merit AwardsCongratulations to the following students who received a merit award and student of the week awards; KB Merit: Fletcher N and Olivia H Millie B and Aaliyah H Student of the week: Jax T Oliver D KL Merit: Scarlett C and Kieran E Caius and Lillian Student of the week: Lily B Cohen O KS Merit: Oakland H and Camellia G Harlem H and Emilio V Student of the week: Alana G Brianna J 1S/C Merit: Miranda J and Baylee T Orielle F and Lucy W Student of the week: Myles S Noah P 1M Merit: Kiara C and Keyara W Trinity M and Milah K Student of the week: Logan J Jaylen L 1/2N Merit: Natalya J and Emrah S Samuel H and Amelia B Student of the week: Alliana C Ayah 2L Merit: Alyson A W and Charlotte B Student of the week: Kayleigh H 2B: Merit: Keira G and Jordi O Lexi C and Austin T Student of the week: Dominic S Corey A 3W Merit: Audrey Y and Piper B Kymani J and Jake B Student of the week: Mason H Ruby J 3A Merit: Kayla C and Marshall F Holly L and Jeremy A Student of the week: Lachlan C Elise W 3/4J Merit: Matilda C and Lucas S Billy k and Madeleine W Student of the week: BlaireC Amy S 4S Merit: Alex W and Alana G Nevaeh B and Ozzy L Student of the week: Taliah C Kylah-Rose T 4W Merit: Stefan V and Bentley F Isaac F Student of the week: Taliah C Braxton Z 5/6LA Merit: Adam N and Nevaya T Jazmen B and Braidyn P Student of the week: Ashton P Zoe M 5/6D Merit: Ben A and Emerald J Gisele F and Lucy L Student of the week: Ella D-D Lexie S 5/6M Merit: Gabrielle G and Caleb P Amelia H and Iyaad M Student of the week: Isabella H Jayden V 5/6S Merit: Taneeka M and Andrew S Mia A and Jacob M Student of the week: Pearce W Oliver C Bronze and Silver AwardsCongratulations to the following students who received a Bronze Award: Jax T Olivia H Airlie S Annabelle C Jackson C Alya D Matilda H Eva M Max R Lola W Oakland H Lani M Oliver B Samuel C Keira G Loralee H Jasmine R Stefan J Charlotte S Holly L Zara W Aliesha F Nabiha M Ava C Charlotte B Congratulations to the following students who received a Silver Award: Logan J Axel C Paxton M James P Lily D Parker P Adalyne L Cameron J Stefan J Charlotte S Flynn I-G P & C UpdateThe next P & C meeting will be help on the 29th of November at Mt Kembla Pub at 7pm. Everyone is welcome to attend the meeting and to celebrate the end of the year. COVID-19 policy will apply. Gold AwardsCongratulations to the following students who have worked extremely hard and received a Gold Award on Friday; Gold Level 1: Eden W Jordi O Jayden S Hayley H Eli C Harper K Calie F Milah K Amelia K Eva H Keyara W Aya R Sama O Avi D Alyson A-W Gold Level 2: Hudson L Lexi C Mohamad M Ella D-D Ashton S Ryan H Zara W William P Memphis W-W Piper B Gold Level 3: Anjali K Mia A Victoria S Jasmine D Jett T Lachlan C Gold Level 4: Kaitlyn A School BankingSchool Banking update from Commonwealth Bank. For 90 years, our School Banking program has helped children learn about money, reinforced the importance of regular savings and provided structure for parents to support their children to save. Though the program continues to have strong support from schools, parents and teachers, recent decisions by some state and territory governments because of a review by the corporate regulator mean we are unable to continue providing programs in schools, and we have had to make a difficult decision to close our School Banking program for all government and non-government schools across the country. Our School Banking program was established in 1931 at a time when having a bank account was not commonplace, and since then we have helped more than 15 million Australians take their first financial steps. This would not have been possible without the wonderful support we have received from schools like yours, including all the parents and volunteers, and for this we are deeply grateful. Thank you. Even though this is a sad time, School Banking has taught so many young Australians, past and present, the value of money and we believe this should be celebrated. We have created a place for you to share your stories, fondest memories and lessons learnt through the program. To share your story and access our financial education resources, please visit commbank.com.au/schoolbanking Even though the CommBank School Banking program will not be returning to your school after this year, you can continue to make deposits into your child’s Youthsaver account through online transfers or at any CommBank branch. If you need further information please phone 132 221 or visit your local CommBank branch. Another thank you is extended to the families, from the Banking co-ordinators and Volunteers from Unanderra Public school. This banking program has been another wonderful way for us to raise money to go back into our school to better the schooling lives for our children. Supporting future P&C fundraising events can still do this. Many thanks to everyone that volunteered their time on a Tuesday morning to help process the weekly banking slips and made sure the students deposits were safely delivered to the bank. For those that have ordered their final reward, these will be distributed to your child’s classroom when they arrive. Cancer Council NSW Nutrition SnippetThe Fathering Project |
Unanderra Public School
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